Giroud says Van Dijk remains the Netherlands’ main man for World Cup run

Olivier Giroud has put Virgil van Dijk at the center of the Netherlands’ World Cup push, and the case for that view runs through the captain’s record as much as his reputation. Van Dijk leads both the Netherlands and Liverpool, and Ronald Koeman’s side reached the 2026 tournament by beating Lithuania 4-0 on 17 November 2025 while going unbeaten in qualifying.

The Netherlands arrive as one of the game’s great unfinished stories. FIFA describes them as three-time finalists, beaten in 1974, 1978 and 2010, and they remain without a World Cup title. Van Dijk remains the player most associated with the hope of changing that, not because he is the flashiest name in the squad, but because he gives the side order when the margins tighten.

That is where the “big brother” label matters. In tactical terms, van Dijk is the organiser who steadies the back line, shapes the team’s spacing and gives younger players a reference point when pressure rises. In psychological terms, he is the voice that can absorb the noise of a knockout match and keep the Netherlands from unraveling when one moment can decide a tournament. Koeman has built around that authority, and van Dijk has said the side has gained maturity, belief and experience since the disappointment of Qatar 2022 and the progress made through UEFA Euro 2024.

That Qatar exit still hangs over the team’s story. FIFA reported that the Netherlands were knocked out of the quarter-final against Argentina on penalties after van Dijk and Steven Berghuis missed from the spot, a loss van Dijk has called a defining experience. At the 2026 tournament, he has said the Netherlands believe they have the talent and team spirit to go all the way, while stressing that World Cup success depends on the best team rather than the best individual stars.

His standing inside Dutch football is also measured in minutes and milestones. FIFA lists van Dijk among the Netherlands’ record World Cup appearance-makers, with Wesley Sneijder and Robin van Persie sharing the top mark on 17 each. Sky Sports has said 2026 is likely to be his final World Cup, and if the Netherlands reach the final he would be in line for his 100th cap. The wider Dutch game is already marking that influence: KNVB and Willem II have launched the Virgil’s Legacy Trophy for U13 teams in Tilburg, with the event scheduled through 2030, while Jürgen Klopp met van Dijk at the World Cup during his work as a television analyst, a reminder of how far his authority reaches beyond the Netherlands’ camp.